New York state’s ongoing quest to squash the illicit market and rescue its failed adult-use cannabis launch continued this week as regulators issued 109 more marijuana business licenses.

Newly licensed businesses combined with padlocking the doors of 164 illegal sellers, as of July 9, have led to a recent “50 percent increase in sales in downstate areas, like New York City,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a Wednesday news release.

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144 licensed marijuana retailers

As of Thursday, 144 licensed retail marijuana stores were open for business across the state, according to New York’s Office of Cannabis Management.

The permits include cultivators, distributors, microbusinesses, processors and retailers, Hochul said.

Less than half are “new” permits, however: 58 of the 109 licenses issued Wednesday are

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